Roses are green! Bouquet that doesn't need water is environmentally friendly way to win brownie points this Valentine's

Staying green: scientists have developed environmentally friendly bunches of roses with uses no water

It's not guaranteed to win you extra brownie points this Valentine’s Day, but it’s worth a try... Tell her the bouquet you bought is helping to save the planet.

For the first time, scientists have developed environmentally friendly bunches of roses which are transported without any water at the bottom of the packaging.

It’s thanks to a pioneering airtight design which takes up less space and weight in lorries – saving on fuel – as well as saving on water.

With no air, the flowers are effectively put to sleep. The blooms then wake up once the packaging is removed and they are placed in water at their destination.

Marks and Spencer, which is using the technology this Valentine’s to deliver their £22 bouquet of Fairtrade red roses, said they will save 10,000 litres of water on the day – enough for 40,000 cups of tea.

M&S already uses Modified Atmosphere Packaging to transport fruit and veg but this is the first time it has been adapted for flowers.

Flower expert Charlotte Curtis said it will help to lower the retailer’s carbon footprint. ‘It means that 25 per cent less lorries will be needed to deliver these bouquets,’ she said.

The blood-red Fairtrade roses costing £22 will be moved from depot to door with the ‘ground-breaking’ new packaging design.

The project is part of an M&S initiative to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015.

The retailing giant first started to trial MAP three years ago and it is already being used with fruit and vegetables to help increase their shelf life.